escutcheon English · revision 1127

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from Middle English ''escochon'',^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) [[der|fro-nor|escuchon]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) a variant of Old French ''escusson'',^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|la-vul|*scutio]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) from [[la|scutum|t=shield]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) It is related to [[esquire]] and [[squire]].^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In heraldry, the shield or shield-shaped surface on which a coat of arms is shown (1480).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Figuratively the word appears in phrases like ''a blot on one's escutcheon'', a stain on one's reputation (1697).^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) It was also used of anything shaped like a shield,^(OED 1989) such as a protective plate around a keyhole and the part of a ship's stern bearing its name.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) An ''escutcheon of pretence'' is a small shield bearing the arms of an heiress, placed on her husband's shield (1677).^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1480 – a heraldic shield.^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1677 – ''escutcheon of pretence''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1697 – figurative, as in a blot on an escutcheon.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[shield]] or shield-shaped surface bearing a [[coat of arms]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An ornamental or protective plate, as around a [[keyhole]] or door handle.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The part of a ship's [[stern]] on which its name is displayed.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[escutcheoned]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[esquire]]

+ * [[squire]]

+ * [[scutum]]

+ * [[inescutcheon]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House records the idiom ''a blot on one's escutcheon'', a stain on one's reputation.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}